• by Karl Greenberg , December 4, 2015

Mazda has a lot going down. Besides the CX-3 compact crossover that went on sale this fall, the automaker debuted the CX-9 three-row crossover at the Los Angeles auto show last month. And Mazda launched a new campaign, “Driving Matters,” in May this year, replacing “Game Changers,” the first from Mazda's then-new dedicated WPP shopGarage Team Mazda. Marketing Daily speaks with Russell Wager, VP marketing, Mazda North American operations, about Mazda's mission.

Q: How is “Driving Matters” working as a marketing position now?

A: It's doing everything we wanted it to do. What that means is the "Game Changer" campaign was great for telling new product stories. It did a really good job for positioning [our vehicles]. The problem was those ads didn't ladder up to changing brand perception. So “Driving Matters” is not talking necessarily about specific vehicles, but more about reasons why you should be part of the Mazda Family. 

Q: What has the ad cadence looked like?

A: The first ad was “Driver’s Life” [A kid who knocks about in Mazda’s Miata sportster grows up, gets married, has his own kid, sends the kid off to college, and gets back into the new Miata MX-5]. The other one was for CX5, a safety-focused story. And next week we launch a new one about all wheel drive. 

Q: But these are product-focused right? Is there a story line? 

A: What we are doing is showing a young couple heading out in a CX-5 [crossover], heading up a mountain road. He has something planned that she doesn’t know about [one can probably guess]. But it starts snowing. He puts it into all-wheel drive and ultimately makes it to the perfect spot. 

Q: How are you measuring effectiveness of the campaign?

A: We do some monthly testing and track two groups: one has seen the ads, the other hasn't. So, for those who have seen it, opinion has gone up dramatically. Using GfK Automotive’s AFI [purchase funnel research] we found we have 65% people aware of Mazda. Of those aware, how many have a favorable opinion? It used to be 10%. Now, six months out from the campaign's launch, it went to 19%, then 21% among people who have seen it. And we are not increasing spend, so it's not how much we are spending. The story is resonating. 

Q: But you are not dealing with a huge budget. Are you mostly digital now?

A: I have heavy spend toward digital. Any given month 40% to 50% is digital. But again, back in May, we didn't make a big switch in media strategy when we launched the campaign. 

Q: Where is purchase intention now?

A: Intent to buy for us has gone from 1.7% to 1.9% [of car shoppers]. Our share of the market is almost 2%, so we have always had less intention to buy than market share. But we are moving in the right direction. The goal is more intentions than share. 

Q: But with a modest budget, how do you get the share of voice you need?

A: We have to have a big presence, and what we have started doing is focusing more on experiential and PR events. For example, in August we had the CX-3 and MX-5 at a press test drive event. We are working to cultivate owner loyalty to a greater extent, inviting people into the family to get the same ability to see what press is seeing. And we are talking more one-on-one with them, in person, at drive events, at some of our functions, like this weekend in Miami, at Art Basel. 

Q: How big is your prospective buyer population, based on who you are trying to reach?

A: We have identified the U.S. Mazda customer to be 25% to 30% of the total car buying public. They are passionate about cars, enjoy taking their car out on the road, they care about what looks good from styling perspective. So the number one brand among most of our target is actually Porsche. 

Q: Are you limiting yourself by identifying the target buyer as a car lover, for whom “driving matters”?

A: Yes, by design. We are not the big company, and we want to sell cars to people who want to love our cars, not who are buying for the deal. We have done that in the past, but we want people to buy us who will come back a second, third time. Rather than constantly conquest, we want to focus on getting loyalty up. The industry average is 45%; we are at 37%, though it is climbing steadily.